"I believe in an America where the free enterprise system flourishes for all other systems to see and admire," Kennedy is shown saying in the video. "Where no businessman lacks either competition or credit- and where no monopoly, no racketeer, no government bureaucracy can put him out of business that he built up with his own initiative."

The video then cuts to Obama pointing out that entrepreneurs did not build their businesses alone because "Somebody else made that happen," referring to governmental support systems like roads and educators.

"If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own," Obama is shown saying at an event in Roanoke, Virginia, one of the stops during his two-day campaign tour earlier in July.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney attacked the president on the statement by releasing a television ad featuring the story of a small business owner. Obama's campaign says that its rivals are taking the president's words out of context.

In his full remarks, Obama said: "If you are successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that mappen. The internet didn't get invented on its own. Goverment research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

Brown's two and a half minute video focuses on job creation and free enterprise through small businesses and entrepreneurs, a heated debate for the November presidential election.

The Republican candidate also makes an attack against his opponent, Warren, who is featured in the video making remarks similar to the president's.

"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody. You built a factory out there - good for you," Warren said. "But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for."

Brown ends the video with a clip of him speaking at a local Chamber of Commerce, stating he "will never demonize you as business leaders and business owners for the work you do or for the opportunities you create because I think we should not be blaming you-we should be thanking you."

soundoff(72 Responses)

California

"fair share" would imply that everyone is already paying a share to begin with.

We all know better.

July 23, 2012 02:59 pm at 2:59 pm |

v_mag

Rupert Murdoch, Ken Lay of Enron, the guys at Barclay's Bank who cheated millions of people by fiddling the interest rate, Bernie Madoff. Just a few names of businessmen who have benefited from the infrastructure provided by taxpaying citizens of the U.S. other countries.

Yet the right wingers seem to think that all businessmen should be worshiped. They even worship a Mormon bishop who hides his money in foreign accounts, off-shores thousands of jobs, and won't be transparent with the people who will decide if he becomes president. On the other hand, they abhor people who, through no fault of their own, are forced into poverty by these very "businessmen".

We can agree on one thing. All of us hate a welfare cheat. But only some of us know who those cheaters really are, and that they don't live in a hovel.

July 23, 2012 03:00 pm at 3:00 pm |

J

Scott Brown thinks that the people of Massachusetts is dumb, because everyone in that state knows that President Obama's speech was spliced and diced by Fox noise and Mr. Robot Romney ran with it during his campaign stops to gin his support among the teabags. And, this is Elizabeth Warren's speech that has been heard over and over in Massachusetts for months.

July 23, 2012 03:02 pm at 3:02 pm |

Iamnotfooled

Yes Brown , let's remember what America is supposed to be like and not let Romney take us right back to where it was the last decade. Let's move forward. Hopefully with less obstructionists in the way.

July 23, 2012 03:04 pm at 3:04 pm |

Rudy NYC

demwit wrote:

What is he talking about? The private sector is doing fine. Obama said so and I've read it right here at least a dozen times..
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Want to know why the Romney campaign has not made a big stink over that line from Pres. Obama? Because Mitt Romney made a similar remark from what demagouges would view as the opposite end of the spectrum. Romney said something about "poor doing fine" because they have social safety nets. He said that despite the fact that Romney's own "budget framework" calls for eliminating a significant chunk of those social safety nets. So, the Romney campaign would rather not get into that particular mud slinging contest. They would lose it again.

July 23, 2012 03:08 pm at 3:08 pm |

v_mag

tellin it like it is

>v_mag – Yeah, let's get rid of those welfare cheats, like GE and Bank of America

GEs CEO is on obamas job council and bank of america sponsors the arena where the democrats are holding their convention in charlotte. obama and democrats supporting cheats.... shocking. not really. birds of a feather etc.
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You mistake me if you think I support Democrats blindly. I support justice, and corporations have run amok, buying the politicians of both parties. The Repugnants are worse, but that doesn't mean that the Dems are a lot better. Our system needs a total overhaul, and neither party has an interest in doing that. However, the rich and corporations are at the root of the evil in this country, because that's where the money is. I just try to point out that your fellow American in the middle and lower classes are not your enemy. The corporations and 1%ers definitely are the enemies of democracy.

July 23, 2012 03:08 pm at 3:08 pm |

SafeJourney

Lets all remember that Mitt will not release more then 2 years of his tax returns. In Ann Romneys words, Thats All "You People" (American People) are going to get

This idea is why they have low regards for teachers firefighters and people that sweat for a living. Ann romney has never worked a day in her life. I said it now what

July 23, 2012 03:13 pm at 3:13 pm |

RealityBites

The government doesn't built roads, bridges, schools , etc, etc. They just over pay for it with our taxes.

July 23, 2012 03:14 pm at 3:14 pm |

Bob

Yeah the past was great if you if you were not a minority. Yeah, I can see how Scott Brown would want to return to the past.

July 23, 2012 03:15 pm at 3:15 pm |

NATHAN WIMBERLY

Brown punked the unhinged GOBP when he ran as a teabagger only to vote with the Democrats when he got to Washington. Mitt(Ihave nothing to offer)McCain needs to release his tax returns as August comes quickly.

@tellin it like it is – ok so if it as easy to prosper as this why isn't obama proposing a 95% tax rate for everybody, not just the rich?
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You Repugs don't get it do you? You missed my tongue-in-cheek reply to BEND's really DU_MB comment on taxing athletes and movie stars at 95% – just because they mostly / traditionally vote Dem. Why not tax LAWYERS, or CEO's at 95%. It's as asinine and as effective as your response.

July 23, 2012 03:18 pm at 3:18 pm |

NickAnast

tellin it like it is
"ok so if it as easy to prosper as this why isn't obama proposing a 95% tax rate for everybody, not just the rich?"

Did your mother drop you as a baby? That's not how the income tax rates work. EVERYONE pays 10% on the first $17,000 of income, then 15% on the next $52,000, then 25% on the next $70,350, then 28% on the next $72,950, then 33% on the next $166,850, and finally 35% on everything after that. Thus, a married couple making $1 million combined (earned income, not capital gains or carried interest) actually pays just under 32% (of course, this is before deductions, exemptions, credits, etc.). Allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire on incomes over $250,000 would bring that total up to around 35%, but would still make a dent in the annual budget deficit.

Show us your tax return or drive the Gop train wreck in Nov with BACHMANN and all the other Gop clowns on board you tax evader!!!

July 23, 2012 03:25 pm at 3:25 pm |

Whatwhat

Take all the wealth from every "evil" rich man and we would still have a run away debt machine. Thanks mostly to the social activist in the WH and the militant left. Hmmm...would I rather have a businessman in the WH or someone who never had a real job pretending to be an economist in the WH? I will take my chances away from the left's cup of Kool aid.

July 23, 2012 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

okc

Sliced and diced....that is some scary world you live in.
Obuma is exactly what he says .....................nobody can do anything without the government..............sorry just leave me alone and lets make that 43% that doesn't pay taxes pay their fair share also.................

July 23, 2012 03:27 pm at 3:27 pm |

tellin it like it is

>On the other hand, they abhor people who, through no fault of their own, are forced
>into poverty by these very "businessmen".

do tell.... where are businessmen forcing people into poverty? only forced business purchase i am aware of is obamacare. and will drive the country into poverty, not people, maybe.

July 23, 2012 03:28 pm at 3:28 pm |

okc

Nick.........43% of the people pay no income tax.......................and if taxes are so great for prosperity lets have everyone pay 65% income tax..........see where that gets us...................

July 23, 2012 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |

California

Hey libs, is the only thing you can do insult others? Rhetorical question.

July 23, 2012 03:30 pm at 3:30 pm |

batjones

For J – The President is trying to expose the inaction of Congress to continue to provide the funding of America's infrastructure that has allowed individual initiative to flourish in this country. Granted the President has not been oratorically artful. However, what good is it for us to blindly praise American entrepreneur's, and then stymie the vehicles (education; safe roads; clean air; potable water; and police protection) that assist those same entrepreneur's in bringing their great ideas to market. Ask Colorado businessmen how difficult and much more tragic would their lives be if they had to rely on their neighbors having a private contractor to fight fires? No man is an island.

July 23, 2012 03:32 pm at 3:32 pm |

no more "freeriders", anywhere, for anything

Liberals and Democrats railed against the healthcare "free riders" and why Obamacare was needed. I was heartened to see that they FINALLY realized that large numbers of "free riders" (aka dead beats, dead weight, free loaders, etc.) can destroy a system. Why do they refuse to see that the same problem exists in our tax/government system? Too many paying nothing, doing nothing, contributing nothing yet demanding more and more.

July 23, 2012 03:35 pm at 3:35 pm |

Obama 2012 - BEND Forward America, take another 4 long years of OBAMA FAILURE

Warren is too far left for even the leftist loons in Massachusetts. And now that she is a proven liar and a fraud, well it is pretty much over. It is always nice when a lefty gets tripped up by their own lies.